KARACHI, Dec 29: Pakistan’s Slovak coach Joseph Herel Saturday showed resolve to do his best for the uplift of football in Pakistan, but made it clear that improvement will come with time.
Herel, who is on a three-year contract with Pakistan, arrived in the eastern border city of Lahore Friday night after getting a clearance chit from the Ministry of Interior.
He was detained in Islamabad for a day as he had a tourist visa which barred him from work in Pakistan. “Well, I am here and would start my planning after watching the boys Sunday. But my prime target is to uplift the standard of the team,” Herel told SADA.
“I hope that sign of improvement will come with the first tournament,” he said.
Herel’s initial task would be to prepare Pakistan team for next month’s South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Herel played for the undivided Czechoslovakia Under-23 team in 1975 and later represented the country’s senior team. He also featured in European club championship in 1972 and 1974 before taking on coaching.
“My experience as coach includes my country’s youth development program in 1983, professional teams’ coaching in Malaysia in 1992-95 and in the Maldives in 1999,” he said.
Herel has been sent to Pakistan by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) under its Youth Development Program.
Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), Secretary, Agha Liaquat Ali told SADA that Herel would announce the team by Dec 31.
“Our team has been training under Siddiq Sheikh who has done a good job,” Ali said.
Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives would take part in the SAFF Cup starting Jan 26.—SADA
